Alleyways
by ForHeSoLovedTheWorld
Summary: A young Darth Maul takes a daring chance in his blossoming romance with Dania Kuolor right before his fateful mission to Naboo. ["In medias res" style oneshot, prequel to "One."]
She sifted through the crowd with ease, experienced enough. The city bustled by just the same, ignoring her dull brown robe. It had taken her nearly a week to find a simple robe, aside from the flashy, gaudy ones sold for prostitutes to attract attention on street corners. But the only place she could afford any such garment was by searching every concubine shop in the area. It wasn't a smart move, but she knew her way around the city well enough to understand the facts of the matter. She finally found a dark brown cloak and tore off the golden tassels, and then, there she was out in the lowest streets of Coruscant.

She flitted into a bar and waited around out of sight, her hood still up. She didn't like to be in such a shady area, and she didn't want to be noticed by anyone but those who were looking for her specifically.

She waited in the bar for a good hour. Finally, she stepped out into the side alley. It was dark and secluded. She simply couldn't stand the bar. It was not her first pick of a place to wait in. She would be found either way.

She trudged along the alley, until she came upon some crates. She eyed them for a moment, inspecting them, and then she sat upon them. They would do alright.

A few people walked by here and there, but she waited quietly, remaining unnoticed. After a while, she looked upward, at the sky of Coruscant. It was beginning to fall dark. She was beginning to wonder.

* * *

He could sense her. She didn't have much of an aura at all, but it was enough that he could feel her wherever she was. He had become quite accomplished at doing that lately.

He rounded the corner, and spotted her exactly where he hoped she wouldn't be. She was seated on a crate, looking like a beggar almost. He had to give her some credit for that. She was smart enough to pull off a disguise. She knew how to blend in when she had to, although that was probably the extent of her abilities as far as city life. She couldn't do a whole lot to help herself if she got tangled in an affair which required physical prowess. She was anything but powerful in terms of brawn.

He approached her silently, and made himself known by catching the crook of her arm with his hand. She was a bit startled to say the least, and her bright hazel green eyes met his cloaked face, bits of her dark curls peeking out from under her hood, her lips looking more soft than they ever had to him, and something came over him in that moment, to the point where he could nearly see himself kissing her right then and there, but he didn't, and he pulled her off to a smaller alleyway which was more secluded.

She finally pulled down her hood, and Maul watched her hair tumble out of its confines, free at last. She was beautiful, if he even knew what that meant. If anything was beautiful, she was. But his face and his voice did not hint such things at all.

Before he could speak, she began instead.

"I know," she whispered, sighing some. "I couldn't stand it in there. It was loud. I was right outside. I knew you'd find me anyway."

"You do realize what district you're in," he replied lowly. She nodded in understanding. Maul refrained from sighing.

"I'm sorry," she said. Maul shook his head and eyed both directions. He didn't sense anyone nearby.

He turned back to her. "I'll be leaving soon," he said. She tried to control her facial features, but Maul could sense her sadness.

"I see," she replied softly. Her hands were folded in front of her, neatly hidden by her cloak. She was hopeful.

"I will write you," he said. She nodded.

"How long will you be?" Her eyes were so hopeful.

"A long time." She looked down. He didn't mean to make it sound like an eternity. But he was only speaking the truth.

"I will find you when I return," he said. That was also true. She nodded. She believed him. She trusted him. Perhaps she even loved him. He couldn't have known that for sure, but somehow his thoughts traveled there for only a moment.

"Don't doubt me," he murmured. He felt his heartbeat pick up as she looked up at him and her lips parted. He tried to calm himself.

The shadow of a smile appeared on her lips, but her eyes were bright, as if she truly were smiling. She was so full of hope.

"Don't you doubt me, Maul," she said softly. Her eyes were pleading with him. He felt her pulling on him, only with those eyes. He hesitated. His eyes traveled to her lips for a mere second, and then back to both ends of the alleyway. She was already quite close to him because of the narrowness of the walkway, so it wasn't at all difficult for him to step toward her and close the gap. One arm around her was all it took to pull her right up to him in one seductive sweep, and he kissed her. He'd never kissed anyone, nor had he ever felt the urge to, but however such things fell, he simply felt her lips with his, and she pressed back into him, her arms around his torso, feeling him in a way he'd never been touched as a man.

He parted from her, and her breathing was shallow and wooed. There was no doubt; he'd completely won her over. He had every right to call her his: his Dania—oh, the mere thought! He could feel himself beginning to pine for her in some deep instinctual way, and he knew exactly what it meant.

"I have to go," he murmured, tearing his gaze away from her for a fleeting moment to check his surroundings again. Kissing certainly lowered his guard in the most alluring of ways.

"Maul," she breathed, nearly pleading with him. He looked back down at her. Oh, what sweet love… Sweet lips… What eyes could possibly love him more? He couldn't help himself and kissed her again, and he found himself out of breath in a mere instant. Time flew from his grasp, and instead, he held onto her.

He forced himself to part from her again. "I really need to go," he repeated, although he could barely convince himself of such things. His mind was seduced by the mere thought of taking her cloak off, of feeling her hair in his hands, of doing much more beyond kissing. He'd never wandered so deep into such intoxicating territory. He had barely parted from her either, his lips still brushing with hers as he spoke.

She said nothing and kissed him softly, just a peck on the lips, but by no means was she pulling away. It made it all too hard on him, and his forehead came to rest on hers, further plummeting him into this drunkenness. He wasn't even bothering to survey his surroundings.

"I will find you when I return," he murmured to her. He wanted to tell her he loved her. It felt right to say. Or maybe he was only aroused. He had no clue. He'd never loved anyone to know. There were so many feelings flowing through him, and one simply ate at him as she pressed into him. He wanted her. He wanted to do so much to her. He wanted to listen to her moan and squeal, as he pushed himself deeper into h—

"I must go," he said suddenly, and he pecked her lips, and then disappeared into the windy balconies above.


End file.
